2018
Wöllstein visits Great Barford
The long standing and very special connection between Great Barford and Wöllstein our twin village in the beautiful Reinhessen region of Germany celebrated its 40th Anniversary since the official twinning was signed in 1978. This year we welcomed 44 visitors from Wöllstein to Great Barford. 2 teachers with a group of 10 students also travelled on the coach. As on previous visits, the school arranged their own accommodation and programme of activities, joining us for the Official Dinner and the games day. The students were dropped off on the way at their hotel in Stevenage.
The Programme for the Visit
Thursday 31st May. Just as in 2016 our Wöllstein visitors arrived late. Expected at about 11 am, they arrived at about 1 pm. They did not have their usual driver who was unable to drive them, so his boss had to drive instead. Unfortunately the boss did not speak English or French so communication was somewhat interesting. He appears to have lost his way which resulted in the coach arriving late.
On Friday 1st of June at 9am our coach left Great Barford Village Hall and took us to Sandringham, Her Majesty the Queen's private residence. Here she is able to relax and escape from the responsibilities of her royal duties. The tour guides were stationed at points of interest along the tour route and gave interesting information about what we could see. The guides only stay at each post for half an hour and then move on to the next post. They all, therefore, knew everything about the whole tour. They enjoyed this system as they did not get stale by having to repeat one set of information over and over again all day. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take photographs during the tour of the house.
Sandringham has extensive gardens. Some areas are formal and others are landscaped. We were able to wander about freely and take photographs. In the grounds there was a tea room with tables outside where some of us had a drink and a cake in the shade of the trees. Saturday 2nd was a free day followed by the Official Partnership Evening Dinner from 5 pm until late. We had a lovely meal served by outside caterers, accompanied with Wöllstein wines. After the meal we were entertained by a Brass Swing Band. |
Our weary Partnership travellers eventually arrived in Great Barford and John Vincent welcomed them at the Village Hall. His speech was, as usual, translated by Helmut. Formalities over our guests were taken home by their hosts for a well deserved rest. They brought the sunshine with them this year just as they did in 2016.
From Sandringham we boarded the coach once more and set off to Hunstanton to visit the seaside. Many of our German guests had never been to a seaside resort before. Hunstanton has a funfair, numerous cafes and eating places. Traditional fish and chips were available at many outlets. There were also cafes which served more adventurous food. In addition Hunstanton has a very long sea wall which enabled us to walk along the coast without getting sand in our shoes or our feet wet. |
The Eddie Petri Trophy was won by Great Barford.
A superb finger buffet followed the games.
At the end of a very enjoyable evening a "Goody Bag" was given to each family from Wöllstein. Each bag contained:-
Peashill Cottage Honey comb
ginger beer (non-alcohol)
a local beer (the alcohol)
cheeseboard with an engraving made by Ed Burnett
black bomber cheese (strong cheddar)
Carrs water biscuits (complete with the appointment to the queen label)
a chilli pickle
and a marmalade
It was a selection of very English goodies that would make a pleasant snack and would remind our friends of the lovely time we all had together in Gt Barford this year.
A superb finger buffet followed the games.
At the end of a very enjoyable evening a "Goody Bag" was given to each family from Wöllstein. Each bag contained:-
Peashill Cottage Honey comb
ginger beer (non-alcohol)
a local beer (the alcohol)
cheeseboard with an engraving made by Ed Burnett
black bomber cheese (strong cheddar)
Carrs water biscuits (complete with the appointment to the queen label)
a chilli pickle
and a marmalade
It was a selection of very English goodies that would make a pleasant snack and would remind our friends of the lovely time we all had together in Gt Barford this year.
On Monday 4th of June our guests departed in their coach. We were sorry to see them leave but were delighted to be invited to visit them in Wöllstein again next Year.